DU students threaten 'long march' to home ministry over Shammo’s murder

Students of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) of Dhaka University have issued a stern warning, saying if there is no visible progress in the investigation of the murder of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Shahriar Alam Shammo, they will hold a “long march towards the home ministry” on Thursday.

The announcement came from a press conference held outside the IER building at 12:30pm on Tuesday.

Alongside this ultimatum, the students also presented a nine-point charter of demands that included justice for Shammo’s killing.

At the briefing, the victim’s friend Sohel Rana Sabbir said: “We will monitor the progress of the case until Thursday. If the demands remain unmet, we will begin a sit-in at the base of the Oporajeyo Bangla statue outside the Faculty of Arts. From there, we will march towards the home ministry with the students of Dhaka University.”

Shammo was stabbed at Suhrawardy Udyan around 11pm on May 13. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around midnight, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.

On Wednesday morning, his older brother Shariful Alam filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station, accusing 10 to 12 people.

Police have so far confirmed the arrest of three suspects in connection with the case.

Shammo was a student in the 2018-19 academic year at the IER. He was also the literature and publication secretary of the AF Rahman Hall Chhatra Dal. He hailed from Sirajganj’s Ullapara.

SM Nahian, a friend of Shammo, alleged that “dirty politics” is under way over the killing of Shammo, accusing political student bodies of exploiting his death.

“It is unfortunate that, since his killing, political student organisations have been engaging in division and dirty politics. The factional response to such a tragic incident is disheartening. We hope the entire university will unite to demand justice for Shammo.”

Faculty members present at the press conference included Acting Director Hosne Ara Begum, Prof Mohammad Ali Zinnah and associate professors SM Hafizur Rahman, Abdul Halim, and Rahul Chandra Saha.

On Sunday, DU Chhatra Dal activists blocked the Shahbagh intersection for nearly two hours in a protest against what they called negligence in the investigation and demanding the arrest of the main suspect in the killing.

Earlier, they brought out a black flag march demanding justice for Shammo’s killing, the resignation of the vice-chancellor and proctor and a safe campus.

The nine demands are:

• Immediate identification, arrest, and public disclosure of the murderers.
• Collection of CCTV footage from the vicinity.
• Ensuring accountability of police officers involved in releasing those who assisted in the murder.
• Actions against arms and drug syndicates around Shahbagh and accountability for police negligence.
• A more active role from students to protest administrative negligence.
• Active involvement of the administration in the investigation and trial, along with the inclusion of Shammo’s family and peers.
• Formation of a committee to ensure justice.
• A call for absent organisations to join the protests.
• Ensure security on campus and surrounding areas.